Leeds United captain Ross McCormack reacted to the sacking of his boss Brian McDermott by calling Sky Sports live on-air to share his surprise at the announcement.

The astonishing call, where McCormack confirmed that McDermott had been sacked as Leeds United manager, included McCormack saying how gutted he was at McDermott leaving and that if he had known earlier that McDermott was getting the sack, he may not have stayed at the club.

Cardiff City had a bid rejected for McCormack. After the call with Sky Sports, McCormack’s agent contacted Sky Sports to say that the player’s agent had received six enquiries about signing the Scot.

Brian McDermott, the former Reading manager had to endure ownership intrigue and inconsistent expectations as one of the largest clubs in England continue to toil in the lower divisions.

Leeds currently sit eight points from a promotion playoff spot, and McDermott — whose record of accomplishments in the Championship while Reading manager were noteworthy — never quite got his feet settled in Yorkshire.

He took over last April with the club out of possible playoff contention and looked to be able to build a side that could contend for promotion with the new ownership of GFH Capital. However, much of the promised transfer funds never materialized and disputes between the new owners and previous owner Ken Bates added to the malaise around the club.

Now come reports that Massimo Cellino, the owner of Cagliari, will be buying the club imminently and wanted a new manager.

Two years ago after refusing to spend any money in the January transfer window and selling club captain Jonny Howson to Norwich City, Simon Grayson was sacked by Ken Bates hours after the transfer window shut. Today’s sacking of McDermott by another ownership group after the manager was forced simply to take players on loan rather than buying any this window feels like deja-vu.

Leeds United continues to be a frustrating force for neutrals who realize the Premier League is missing something without the club and its massive support. The league also has suffered from not having any of the traditional powers from Yorkshire in the top flight since Sheffield United’s relegation on the last day of the 2006-07 season.

McDermott is a good manager and should Nigel Adkins fail to deliver promotion for Reading this season, do not be shocked to see the Slough-born man back in his old post at the Madejski Stadium.

About Kartik Krishnaiyer

A lifelong lover of soccer, the beautiful game, he served from January 2010 until May 2013 as the Director of Communications and Public Relations for the North American Soccer League (NASL).
Raised on the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the old NASL, Krishnaiyer previously hosted the American Soccer Show on the Champions Soccer Radio Network, the Major League Soccer Talk podcast and the EPL Talk Podcast.
His soccer writing has been featured by several media outlets including The Guardian and The Telegraph. He is the author of the book Blue With Envy about Manchester City FC.
View all posts by Kartik Krishnaiyer →